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Partly paved and partly grassed, Piazza del Duomo is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Duomo, the Leaning Tower (the cathedral's campanile), the Baptistery and the Camposanto.His name "Square of Miracles”, was created by the Italian writer and poet Gabriele d'Annunzio

The Camposanto Monumentale, is arguably the most beautiful graveyard in the world. Lining the northern side of the Piazza dei Miracoli, the white marble walls of the Camposanto enclose a grassy courtyard surrounded by cloisters (covered walkways).

Legend holds that during the Crusades, ten Pisa ships carried soil from Calvary in the Holy Land and laid it here in the cemetery.

There are two doorways. The one on the right is crowned by a gracious Gothic tabernacle. It contains the Virgin Mary with Child, surrounded by four saints. It is the work from the second half of the 14th century by a follower of Giovanni Pisano. This was the original entrance door.

In 1987 the whole square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The power of Pisa as a mighty maritime nation began to grow and reached its apex in the 11th century when it acquired traditional fame as one of the four main historical Maritime Republics of Italy (Repubbliche Marinare).

Pisa was in continuous conflict with the Saracens, who had their bases in Corsica, for control of the Mediterranean. Between 1030 and 1035, Pisa went on to successfully defeat several rival towns in Sicily and conquer Carthage in North AfricaCamposanto was the fourth and last building to be raised in the Cathedral Square.

In 1051–1052 the admiral Jacopo Ciurini conquered Corsica, provoking more resentment from the Genovese.

In 1063 admiral Giovanni Orlando, coming to the aid of the Norman Roger I, took Palermo from the Saracen pirates. The gold treasure taken from the Saracens in Palermo allowed the Pisans to start the building of their cathedral and the other monuments which constitute the famous Piazza del Duomo

Camposanto was erected over the earlier burial ground. His wall is composed of 43 blind arches.

One of the things the Camposanto is known for is its many frescoes. Tragically, many of the frescoes have been destroyed or damaged.In 1944, during the Second World War, incendiary bombs dropped during an Allied air raid set the roof on fire.

The serene atmosphere is enhanced by the beautiful remains of frescoes that adorn the walls inside, though sadly these were badly damaged in a fire during the war.

The frescos that adorned the walls of the cemetery were among the largest in Europe before being damaged by fire in WWII.

The burning wood rafters caused the lead of the roof to melt. The molten lead caused severe damaged to everything inside the cemetery, destroying most of the sculptures and sarcophagi as well as most of the frescoes.

There were many losses of great art and architecture during World War II, and the nearly complete destruction of the Camposanto Pisa was one of the most tragic.

Many of the crumbling tombstones here are Roman dating from the 14th century-most of the tombs are under the arcades. A collection of sarcophagi, presently are inside the galleries near the walls.

Leonardo Fibonacci, or, most commonly, simply Fibonacci, was an Italian mathematician, considered by some "the most talented western mathematician of the Middle Ages" Fibonacci is best known to the modern world for the spreading of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in Europe, primarily through the publication in the early 13th century of his Book of Calculation, the Liber Abaci; and for a number sequence named after him known as the Fibonacci numbers, which he did not discover but used as an example in the Liber Abaci.

Many of the crumbling tombstones here are Roman dating from the 14th century-most of the tombs are under the arcades. A collection of sarcophagi, presently are inside the galleries near the walls.

Ancient relics that were found in Pisa now make it sort of an archeological museum inside the cemetery.

Massive chains that hang on the wall were once used to close off access to Pisa’s harbor.

One thing that surprises many as they visit the Camposanto is that there are large rusty chains hanging next to the beautiful frescoes. This chains are actually the old chains from the Pisa port, takes by the Genovese or Firenze and later returned to Pisa in 1860.

It’s just one of the many signs of the strong naval traditions in Pisa, so don’t be surprised to find more similar features in the city of Pisa.

Sound: Verdi - La vergine degli angeli - Mirusia Louwerse, André Rieu

Louis Niedemeyer - Pieta Signore - Sister Marie Keyrouz

Text: Internet

Pictures: Daniela IacobAll  copyrights  belong to their  respective owners

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

2011